The invention relates to an electrically heatable household appliance assembled of a stationary lower part supporting a hot plate and a movable upper part also supporting a hot plate, the upper part being connected to the lower part by an adjustable hinge joint having abutment surfaces for supporting the upper part in its closed horizontal position; the hinge joint portion which is connected to the upper part of the appliance is adjustably connected to at least one arm or link that is hinged to the lower appliance part and has bearing surfaces for holding the upper part in a desired swing-open position as described in the German patent application No. P 26 02 716.7.
The household appliance of this kind has numerous advantages residing especially in the fact that the upper part of the appliance can be adjusted with respect to the lower part according to the thickness of the food product inserted for cooking between the two hot plates. This adjustment of the level of the upper appliance part does not impair the parallelity of the hot plates and, moreover, there is a possibility to hold the upper appliance part in other positions, namely in addition to the aforementioned parallel or closed position at adjustable levels with respect to the lower hot plate, in the second position the upper appliance part is swung open slightly above 90.degree. with respect to the lower hot plate and finally, in the third position the upper part is swung about 180.degree., whereby in each of those positions the upper part is fixedly supported. Nonetheless the disadvantage of the above described cooking appliance can be seen in that the product to be cooked or broiled is exposed to the contact heat or to the indirect radiation from the hot plate only whereas the direct infrared irradiation of the cooked or broiled product by the heating spiral itself would be possible only then when the hot plate is removed. This removal, however, is hardly feasible because of the defilement of the heating spiral and of its supporting member functioning as a heat reflector, the defilement resulting from the spattered grease or fat particles. A problem-free cleaning of the heating spiral and of the reflector is hitherto impossible.